Marvel Studios isn't above using existing classic movies as templates for its superhero output. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was the costumed version of The Parallax View, while Guardians of the Galaxy owed a clear debt to Star Wars.

But according to the cast and crew of Captain America: Civil War, the next Marvel movie has set its sights higher than ever in terms of inspiration.

Apparently, that wasn't a sign that fans should expect a superior sequel a couple of years later that only deepens the inherent tragedy at the heart of the family epic, followed by a third installment almost two decades later that everyone likes to pretend didn't happen.

Instead, according to co-director Joe Russo, it's a reference to the number of characters in, and scale of, both movies. "That’s [also] a sprawling film with a lot of characters that tells very intricate stories," he explained of the comparison.

However, The Godfather isn't necessarily where he and co-director (and brother) Anthony Russo are looking when it comes to their own influences for the finished slugfest.

"The movie we've been referencing a lot on this one are Se7en, weirdly," he told Fandango. "Se7en [and] Fargo, just as far as we're not making comparisons in terms of quality, we're just talking influences."

Well, now we know what to expect if Captain America gets a mysterious box delivered to him toward the climax of the movie.